Colorless
by VirgoMaiden
Summary: Dasey. ....'And he wishes that he could take her hand in his and squeeze and squeeze and give her all of his energy, so that she would be okay.'


**A/N:** Okay, I'll admit it: this is a little angsty, even for me. You have been warned.

**Disclaimer:** I do _not_ own LWD or the FF/A 100 idea. Darn.

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**Colorless**

His world tilts on its axis when he hears of the accident. The world, spinning. Images blurring. Color fading. Voices mixing into each other.

_Hit from the side…_

When Nora cries, or when his dad gets silent, unsure what to do, both coming home earlier than they have for a long, long time…

_She was lucky that she didn't die on impact._

When Lizzie and Edwin try to act like everything is okay, and when Marti starts asking him if this happened because she didn't tell Casey enough times that she really _was _glad that she had her for a stepsister, Derek just wants to scream. To yell and to shout and to pretend that this just didn't happen, to just wake _up_…

_We can't guarantee that she will ever return completely back to normal; physically, mentally, emotionally…_

He wishes that she had won the coin toss and that he had been the one that had to go to the grocery store instead of her.

_Intersections can be dangerous places, no matter how small, even if you are being careful_…

Because even though she was probably was the most careful driver that his dad's car had ever seen, this had still happened.

Because it _had _been his turn to go to the store, but his game was on, and at the time that was all that mattered to him.

_Her seatbelt didn't help her much in this case._

And he would've stayed in the driveway or store for a little longer than necessary, and the driver would have missed him _and _her and would've hit the pole instead of Casey.

_Her legs are broken in multiple places… Broken ribs… A sprained wrist… We are currently unable to make that accurate of an analysis about the condition of her arms…her neck is alright, though – just scraped and bruised._

Thank god for small favors. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself is she had become a paraplegic and would have to use a wheelchair and whatnot for forever more.

_But she does have a severe concussion._

Even after all of his years of hockey, Derek still didn't know enough of the small details of what that meant.

When he asks for some elaboration – or, rather, simplification – the doctor only says that it is very possible that she could go into a coma…

"_You want cheese balls, Derek?"_

"Chili_ cheese balls, Space Case."_

…And die.

When he hears that, his chest tightens and his breathing becomes uneven, shallow.

He feels like he should have paid more attention in Health class instead of the student teacher.

Or gotten his coat on when his dad had asked him to instead of pushing it all on Casey.

He always does that, too.

And then he sees her, lying in the square hospital bed. She looks unusually small for someone with the vibrancy, the life, that she does. He recoils slightly, upon seeing her face – the very one that he had claimed to hate, to despise – look pale. The bruises are dark and ugly in contrast. The long, thin, stitched-up scratches are on the right side of her face. The side where she has a small beauty mark, right next to her ear.

And, hearing the machines pump and beep (as well as the doctors remark on the ways that she is not waking up but is still responding to the treatment) beside her as she hovers somewhere in purgatory, in limbo, he he wants nothing more to take the hand not being held in Nora's in his, and to squeeze and squeeze and to pass all of his energy into her.

And he knows that, even though it is wishful thinking and that he is sure that no grand deity would be willing to allow it, that if that was ever able to happen, and there would be the choice of there being either Derek or Casey in this world, he would pick her. Every time.

Because the world, without her, is colorless.

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**A/N:** Um, wow. Let me reword what I have stated above: This is WAY darker that what I am used to writing.

I am also sorry that I pulled the old "Casey in the coma card," and that it is _so _unoriginal, but I really couldn't think of a better plot for the prompt "Colorless."

Reviews are love and Constructive Criticism are lots of help.

VM


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